Parasites – Beautiful And Gross And Everywhere
Weird Animal Mating Habits – Do It Like They Do On The Discovery Channel
Most species have sex but some have found VERY innovative, funny, strange or just downright bizarre ways of doing it and for some reason, Katie knows a LOT about this weird world. So does Jo, an animal keeper and trainer and our first ever repeat guest.
Learn why giraffes drink pee, what terrifying shape a duck’s penis has, why anglerfish males are the ultimate clingy boyfriends and much more.
Links
Marine Animals – Why Sea Otters Are The Assholes Of The Sea
Guest enthusiast Jo Gudman Rasmussen shares her passion for all kinds of marine animals from nudibranchs (giggle!) to whale sharks.
Alex has all his dreams shattered when he learns that sea otters are not adorable – they are in fact the assholes of the ocean.
BTWs include: Quitting your job to follow your enthusiasm, the fly named after RuPaul and how to eat a still-living octopus (hint: chew it REALLY well).
Links
Chinese New Year – 3 Full Weeks Of Food And Traditions
Gong hei fat choy! Or 恭喜发财 if you prefer. It’s Chinese New Year and we dive into all of the great traditions around it, including what to eat, what to wear, who to give money to and why you should NOT get a haircut.
With guest enthusiast Sarah Chua.
In the Moment Of Meta we talk about how to be hopeful and enthusiastic about the future.
Links
Ultramarathons: Extreme running and the nutcases who enjoy it
Mark Dowds was out of shape and nearing 40 when he discovered ultra-marathons and has now run several dozen of them. Mark tells us what it’s like to run 50km (or 75 or 100 or more!) in steep terrain and challenging conditions, the extreme emotions you experience and how he maintains his enthusiasm for both training and competing.
Mark originally hails from Belfast and built a career as a tech entrepreneur in Toronto, Vancouver and Silicon Valley.
BTWs include Guinness, gummy bears and the monarchy.
Moment of meta
In the moment of meta Katie gives three tips for how you can enjoy being bad at stuff.
Links
- Mark Dowds’ new company Responsible which aims to make the fashion industry more sustainable
- Mark’s podcast, Responsible Rebels
- Christopher Macdougall’s book, Born to Run
- Courtney Dauwalter
- The Barkley Marathons
- Slow Burn by Stu Middleman
- Katie reacting to her old dance videos
- Jameela al Jamil and the iWeigh community
Cosplay: Going Hard With Hot Glue And A Dream
Our guest in this episode is Agent Colbert, a very enthusiastic cosplayer who’s known for her vintage aesthetic, rocking Agent Carter and the marvelous Mrs Maisel cosplays but who has also done everything from Ty Lee from Avatar the last Airbender to Velma from Scooby Doo.
Learn what it takes to cosplay, what it’s like to go to conventions with 1000s of other cosplayers and how to find out what character you should cosplay as!
BTWs include perfectionism, badass Asian women and The Lake Wobegon Effect. Also – The Muppets!!!
The moment of meta
In this episode we talk about being enthusiastic about yourself even though you’re not perfect.
Links
- Agent Colbert’s instagram
- The Muppets: Animal, Kermit, Miss Piggy and the infamous Gonzo.
The Banjo: Loud, Fun And… Sexy?
People have a TON of misconceptions about the banjo and often dismiss it as the instrument of hillbillies or rednecks. But did you know that it’s an instrument with a huge history and tradition that can be both loud, fun and… sexy?
Our guest enthusiast in this episode is Daniel Rodrigues, a Portuguese jazz musician living in Copenhagen where he plays in several different jazz bands and he is VERY enthusiastic about the banjo.
Daniel takes us on a journey of the banjo, that includes:
- Why it’s the most fun instrument
- How to find success and fame as a banjo player
- The weirdest song he’s ever played on a banjo
- The best jokes people tell about the banjo
And yes, the movie Deliverance does come up.
BTWs include:
- A fantastic connection between the banjo and Harpo Marx, the subject from our very first episode.
- Game of Thrones.
In our Moment of Meta we talk about the most important rule of enthusiasts everywhere: Don’t yuck someone else’s yum!
Links
- Daniel’s bands: Dusty Rag Jazz Band (New Orleans jazz), The Lindy Syncopators (Swing music), Les Gitanes (Gypsy jazz).
- Daniel playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM7MGOxM9NQ
- Eddie Peabody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KESgZT4aYSA
- Bela Fleck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9XDUBDMNuk
- Earl Scruggs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQIJuu3N5EY
- A clip of the “Banjo” character from The Man Who Came To Dinner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dWAN4D3WEE